- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on addressing concerns regarding the wellbeing of young people following the impact of COVID-19.
Answer
We have invested significantly in additional mental health and wellbeing support for since the beginning of the pandemic, including £11.25 million of dedicated funding for local authorities to address the wellbeing impacts of the pandemic on children and young people.
We have also allocated £15 million this year to fund local authorities to deliver locally based mental health and wellbeing support for children and young people in their communities.
I am sure the member will join me in welcoming this substantial investment, which equates to an additional £3.7 Million for Mid Scotland and Fife, and has resulted in over 200 new and enhanced supports and services for children and young people across Scotland so far.
£15m was also provided to local authorities and up to £5m to national organisations across Scotland to deliver the Summer Offer for children and young people, “ Get into Summer ” providing opportunities for children and young people to socialise, play and reconnect.
More generally, the wellbeing of young people is central to our work with schools, colleges, universities and employers; both in terms of access to support and facilitating positive pathways through the Young Person’s Guarantee.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Rural Housing Fund.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 9 September 2021
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s report, The Economics of Biodiversity, which was published by the UK Government in February 2021, what steps it (a) has taken and (b) will take to ensure that Scotland's demands on nature do not exceed nature’s capacity to supply.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s commitment to tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss is unwavering. Many of the points made in the Dasgupta review align closely with our existing approaches, and with our Wellbeing Economy, Inclusive Growth and Green Recovery, and “four pillars” approach to economic development. The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party have agreed to work together to develop a new Natural Environment Bill which will put in place key legislative changes to restore and protect nature, including statutory targets for nature restoration.
Our Environment Strategy and our Statement of Intent on biodiversity published in December 2020 fully recognise the value of nature and the essential services and benefits it provides to Scotland’s people. The Statement of Intent signals our ambitions for biodiversity in Scotland, and commits Scotland to development of a new biodiversity strategy within 12 months of COP15. It also commits us to:
- Endorsing the Leaders’ Pledge for Nature, launched at the UN General Assembly in September which commits signatories to reversing biodiversity loss by 2030, sending a united signal to step up global ambition for nature, climate and people.
- Extending the area protected for nature in Scotland to at least 30% of our land area by 2030.
- Ensuring that National Planning Framework 4 works to secure positive effects for biodiversity.
- Increasing ecological connectivity through support for locally-driven projects.
In July 2021 we launched the Nature Restoration Fund, which provided an additional £10 million capital funding for projects that will restore nature, safeguard wildlife and tackle the causes of biodiversity loss and climate change.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 26 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the findings of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s report, The Economics of Biodiversity, and of the urgency of protecting and restoring nature, whether it will provide an update on its work towards a new biodiversity Strategy.
Answer
In recognition of delays in the negotiation of a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework and associated targets as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government published a high-level Statement of Intent on biodiversity in December 2020. This statement signalled our ambitions for tackling the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, and included a commitment to publish a new biodiversity strategy within a year of CoP15. That is now scheduled to take place in October 2021 in Kunming, China. The strategy will take account of the Dasgupta review alongside a range of other evidence, as well as the new global biodiversity framework, goals and targets and also the emerging EU biodiversity strategy.
The Statement of Intent can be read in full at: www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-post-2020-statement-intent/pages/1/ .
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to renew beaver control licences when the current licences end on 16 August 2021.
Answer
When beavers became a European Protected Species in May 2019, NatureScot made a commitment to carry out a review of beaver licensing after two years.
This review will be concluded shortly following which Nature Scot will publish updated licence conditions and guidance for applicants on its website.
Following their review of beaver licensing, NatureScot has now issued the majority of the licence renewals, which are valid with effect from 17 August 2021 for a period of 2 years. Licence holders have been informed of the amendments to the conditions of the licence, including the provision of a map and compliance with codes of practice, which have been incorporated following the review.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to the findings of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s report, The Economics of Biodiversity, which was published by the UK Government in February 2021.
Answer
The findings of the Dasgupta Review will inform the development of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation, to be published later this year, and our new biodiversity strategy, to be published in 2022.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Dasgupta Review on The Economics of Biodiversity, which was published by the UK Government in February 2021, whether it will consider commissioning a Scotland-specific equivalent review, to build on the work of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta.
Answer
The Dasgupta Review is comprehensive and takes a global perspective, and we are not planning to undertake a Scotland specific review. The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing research into biodiversity, as set out in our ‘Environment, natural resources and agriculture research: strategy 2022 to 2027’. This includes plans to establish a Scottish Centre of Expertise in Biodiversity, which will advise policymakers across central and local government and public bodies, on how best to address biodiversity loss.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the relevance of Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s recommendations for Scotland in The Economics of Biodiversity, and whether it will publish any assessment it has made.
Answer
The Scottish Government welcomes the key messages of the Dasgupta Review, which is highly relevant and demonstrates the central importance of biodiversity and environmental sustainability to economic policy. There are no plans to publish an assessment of the Review.
Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation will be published later this year and will focus on building an economy that will maximise Scotland’s economic, social and environmental wellbeing whilst delivering green economic recovery and green jobs, and building businesses and industries of the future. In 2022 we will publish our new post-2020 biodiversity strategy which will outline wider measures being taken to enhance Scotland’s biodiversity and natural environment.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recommendations in Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta’s, The Economics of Biodiversity, that measures of economic success must be changed to guide Scotland towards sustainability, or risk endangering the prosperity of current and future generations, what work it is doing to develop alternative metrics of economic success as alternatives to GDP.
Answer
We are developing a cross-government framework, the Wellbeing Economy Monitor, to be published later this year. This work is grounded in Scotland’s National Performance Framework, to track progress towards our outcomes beyond GDP. It includes developing the four capitals approach to ensure we take a longer-term view and are able to join up effectively across Government, noting the inter-dependencies across the social, economic, human and natural capitals.
The National Performance Framework also contains a diverse range of measures of success including a new biodiversity indicator.
We also need to take account of the impact of our economy on nature in other countries. Zero Waste Scotland’s material flow accounts ( https://zerowastescotland.org.uk/research-evaluation/material-flow-accounts-mfa ) is an example of this.
- Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 12 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government (a) on what basis it took the decision to align close-contact services with non-essential retail for the purposes of the business restart grants, (b) what financial analysis was conducted to inform that decision, (c) how much it would have cost to align close-contact services with businesses in the leisure and hospitality sector, and (d) how much extra funding has been provided in restart grants to businesses that restarted after the 26 April 2021.
Answer
Close contact and retail premises and other sectors were aggregated from December 2020 in the context of payments of the Strategic Framework Business Fund and thereafter for top-up payments, and that was carried forward to the restart grants paid in April 2021, not least because close contact services tend to operate from adapted retail premises.
It is not possible to provide a definitive costing of the financial implications of increasing the levels of restart grants for close contact businesses. Initial analysis of potential costs was based on estimates of the numbers of close contact services premises developed by Scottish Government analysts, supplemented by further information on close contact service business numbers provided by individual Local Authorities. This analysis suggested that the costs of increasing grant rates for close contact services to those paid to leisure and hospitality premises could have been of the approximate order of an additional £20 million, over and above the package of financial support provided as part of the broader set of restart grants. However, this cost is an estimate, influenced by eligibility criteria, assumptions on uptake, and by information held by individual Local Authorities on the characteristics of the broader retail sector recipients of business support administered by them.
Restart grants were paid in April only.
